Valve operating and locking mechanism



S. LwKNEAS. VALVE oPERATmG AND LOCKING MECHANISM.

.APPLICATION lFILED HOV. 15. 1919. l,379,927 q Fatemi-,ed Muy 31, 1921 'MQ Q' l m \S I l a e Q & g v 'Q Yi "i d 33 gageable with a quadrant.

'STRICRLAND L. KNEASS, or PHILADELPHIA, EENNSYLVANIA, AssrGNoJa 'ro WILLIAM SELLERS a COMPANY, Inet, or rarnannnrnra, rnnnsYLvAlvIa, a ooiarona'rron or PENNSYLVANIA.

'VLVE OPERATNG AND LOCKING TvECHANISM.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented May 3l, lt.

.application led November 15, 191.9. Serial No. 338,316.

To all wliom it may concern:

Be it known that l, STRICKLAND L.

KNnass, a citizen of the United States, resid` ing at Philadelphia, county 'of Philadelphia,

5 and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful lmprovement'in Valve Oper- -ating and Locking Mechanism, ot which the following is a `full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying-drawings, which form a part of this specification.

ln the operation. of valves used in connection with non-.lifting injectors on locomotive boilers, as well as in valves used for analogous and other purposes, means have been f provided to hold the valve open or closed and in intermediate position to govern the amount of .steam admitted through the valve. The object of my invention is to provide a' novel means for manually opening and closing the valve and bringing it to one of a considerable number of intermediate positions and then locking it in the position to..which it is moved Without the use of latches, springs or quadrant. It is customary, in locomotive construction, to operate the injector steam controlling valve v'by means of a lever forming part of the valve mechanism, said lever carrying a. latch en- This lever is oftenrnecessarily located outside the cab,-a position inconvenient for operation by the engineer from the cab seat. Moreover the latched lever and quadrant construction can not, as a practical matter, be adapted to effect a locking of the valve in any considerable number ot' open positions. By means et' my invention, not'only may the valve be moved to, and held in, any'one of a con- 40 siderable number of open positions, but the valve may be manipulated from. any convenient point, however relatively distant.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings, it being understood that the valve per se embodies no element of novelty.

Figure is a side elevation, partly in` section, showing my invention connected with a valve, the locking plate being shown in cross-section.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a part of the con- ,struction ot F ig. l, the handle end of the valvel moving and locking rod being shown as having been drawn towardfthe operator,

'ment of a similar view F ig. 3 is a detail face view of the lock.

ing plate, enlarged.

F 1g, 4 is a detail view of the locking plate 1n cross-section, the view being an enlargeof the plate in Fig. l and heilig taken on the line 4**4: of Fig. 3.

F 1g. 5 is a cross-section through the handle of the valve-operating rod on the line A typical valve casing o is connected at opposite open ends with ipe sections Z), c, and is divided by a web d h onv which the valve e is adapted to seat. The valve stem f is shown as extending through a stuffing box g secured to the valve casing. The valve shown is one that tends to close under steam, pressure, but the invention hereinafter described may be readily adapted to a valve of any other type, whether the same controls the operation of a locomotive boiler injector, or be intended for some other use, or whether it tendsto open or close by steam pressure.

The outer end ol the valve stem f is attached to a lever it near one end thereof. T he short end of the lever is connected bya linlr y' with the valve casing. To the long end ot the lever is adjustably attached one end of an extension rod A handle c, the shank of which is practically a part of the vrod z', has a swiveled connection therewith aving an openingV to slide freely when the handle is in the po- I sition shown in Fig. l, in which figure the plate o is shown in vertical cross-section, while the handle is turned on its swivel so that the notches thereof open upward, practically fitting the slot.

From opposite side walls of the slot in plate o project teeth r and s. These two teeth are in staggered relation.

The handle ft has a cylindrical stern of slightly less diameter than that of the lower circular' end ot the slot y), and extends from the curved pull handle to the enlarged end Such a stem would -freely open and close the valve if given the proper movement, but would not hold it in open position when subject to longitudinal stress. Upon this cylindrical stein is superimposed a, eeeiee of projections o1: lande m of sightly smalle-'J eontoui' than L o upper cross-seow ion of lhe Slob g) Space hetween 'them than the thickness of ehe plete o. T he adding of lfhese lends or projections upon lie cylindrical Stem if-fi'elfoiie causes no interference lh ihe free and linnn-- vbetween LW@ acljeceni, lende, oi' the relavely dis-ent nooh n, egisei'e with iho eorieeponding tooth, i1 or s, in 'ehe ASlate o et the sio'e o Slot By (h'ow'lng the handle (when it ie tmne l into he poeiion Shown in Fig, l) to he until the ioch n is in alinenieu; 'with one of the teeth fr o1' s, and lhen giving the handle a quarter hiru, lhe 'elYe e is held fall open., By pushing the handle 'eoihe fight until 1:the Valve is {iirnljyi seated and then giving; the handle a qneto tuin, lehe valve iS held closed. By pushing oi' pull ing he handle to any intexnediae 'position in which a notch between two mljacen lands fmelinee with one of the 'bee/h '7" o1: s anni ghen giving ie e, quarer tum, the valve will he held open @o e, greater oi* ylese extent, ulejoenflen upon the peiftionhuf notch of the henclle that is The amount of seoni Mhni'ted to the valve may thus he closely regulated, there heilig about twice as many looking' positions ou as hele are projections o' lands on the handle,

The valve-holding oli-vangelnent (lesseiihed e ihits ohvions advantages over o qi 4hren@ and leched lever, Such as is showin 'i ample, in 'the poterli) ies-ned to me April l5 19H?? No. 15007280. `While nunihei' of notches are shown in his paen, it iS haidly practicable, from en operativo stenfh'ioint, t0 provide nioi'e den two on ihre/o, Wheeis looking' positions muy oo n @de numeious enough to meot the moet ing; require-A Anohei' ailvzinege of le present poen 'one ohne mid Without eonljoreef o1' manipulation of :i

The hai lll Jelggh is sides o "ing nonv fully described my ini-'exi'i l Gleim and (lehne peche in mlve oplei-eti Y zmisn, zhe combination valve actuating nieohzmi.. Slielnhle 'unil I'ouzi'i'ffihle nienoei' e., its sliding niovei'nent to :ioiie'to Said nien'lhei' hm' ng e. serieel nozfhes, zin'l n member hovin vio l lilfieien' phineey one 1 i being nirengjed lo ew ginge the noiches when h@ member is turned in one diievion While he osher lootl is :ii'i'nnged to ngegfe the notifies when member i jned in 4ihe ohei (liieetion io look said me hhe :lyon1 olidingf long; a nelly. f

2. ln valve 'ogemting and locking' anisn, 4he eoi'nhinaticgo with :l l sldoble and mnnhle nie'iiihei, oomlee beween the Suid member sind volvo 9o adapted. in 3io Sliding n'ioY men Said member, to operate 1|he valve, and n phwliy olE locking (m1/ieee one of which is adept ed 'go :nifl loch seid member on" lie,

od ioni mecha :Jh L valve, oi' :a

nisn, Vthe con' slnluhle and lin-2V .i member, oeween ho sind woher and he adapted, in 'the 1' mov ment of l men'ihei, to ope-,mie alia 'x'olV-e, nml' e Y inlity of looking devices fulep'ted, w 'ien menihei ie mne in :lil vom@ direi :from its freely iehihle posible/in oif'oepeciis-ely engage :smid members and lock it iiioni longgimlinfii nuovenen one looking levis-e being poe 'uned to eng; Seid irlenihei when the im# n' is in any one of' a l l5 iongyitwlinel posizilons lil zneo ing xleviee loing posiio member when he l :inolhei Series; of longli'm lo poi-,tions oi: om

Lave,

ing devices, one of which is adapted to engage and lock said member when the latten: is turned in one direction While in any one' of a series of longitudinal positions, and the other of which is ,adapted to engage and lock said member when the latter is turned in an opposite direction While in any one of a series of different longitudinal positions alternating withV the positions of the rst series, said locking devices being positioned to be inei'ectivefwhen said member is turned into an intermediate positions' 5. In valve operating and locking mechanism, the combination with a valve, of a slidable and turnable member, connections between the said member :ad the valve adapted, in the sliding movement of said member, toy operate the valve, said member having a series of notches, a toothed device having' a plurality of teeth each of which is adapted to engage a notch in said member when said member is shifted to bring such notch into alinement with such tooth 'and then turned, said teeth being so positioned that the sliding of said member a distance equal to a fraction of the distance between adjacent notches will bring one of said notches into locking alinementJ with one or the other of said teeth.

6. In valve operating and locking mechanism, the combination with a valve,f-ofva. l

slidable and turnable member, connections between the said member and the valve adapted, 'in the sliding movement of said member, to operate the valve, an orifice plate,` teeth projecting from opposite' Walls of said orilice, said teeth being in staggered relation, said member having a series of notches and being turnable a half turn on its axis to bring said notches in locking relation with one or the other of said teeth turnable relatively to the other to e'ect a locking engagement between them, one of said contrivances, comprising a plurality of locking members one of which performs the locking function when the slidable contrivance is in any one of a series of longitudinal positions while the other of which performs the locking function When the slidable contrivance 1s in any one of a series of longitudinal positions alternating with those of the first series.

8. In a valve operating and locking mechanism, the combination with a valve, of a slidable and turnable stem, connections between said stem and the-valve adapted, in

`the sliding movement of the stem, to operate the valve, a plate havinga slot with an arcuatev portion, the stem having an arcuate contour adapted to the contour of `the arcuate portion of the slot, a series-of lands along one side of the stem forming between theml notches of less Width than the thickness of the plate, and teeth on the plate projecting into said slot and arranged at opposite sides thereof in staggered relation to'each other.

ln'testimony of which invention I have H 

